{"id":120938,"date":"2026-01-16T19:23:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T19:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/120938\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T19:23:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T19:23:31","slug":"tampa-runners-hit-the-pavement-to-prep-for-gasparilla-distance-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/120938\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Runners hit the pavement to prep for Gasparilla Distance Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 With just over a month to go until the Gasparilla Distance Classic, runners across Tampa Bay are ramping up their training and logging miles in preparation for race day.<\/p>\n

The annual event, known for its scenic route along Bayshore Boulevard, draws thousands of participants each year for races including the popular half-marathon. For Tampa resident Brianna Jordan, this year marks her first time running the Gasparilla Distance Classic, but she is no stranger to long-distance running.<\/p>\n

Jordan is deep into her training schedule, running three to four times a week with shorter weekday runs and longer distances on the weekends.<\/p>\n

WATCH: Tampa Runners hit the pavement to prep for Gasparilla Distance Classic<\/p>\n

Tampa Runners hit the pavement with the Gasparilla Distance Classic just over a month away<\/p>\n

While she has completed half marathons in the past, Jordan says Gasparilla stands out because of its waterfront views and the energy of the local running community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Bayshore views, so that\u2019s something I\u2019m looking forward to, a beautiful race,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n

That community support is already on full display during training season, with runners filling Bayshore Boulevard throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good community. There are a lot of people who enjoy running. All you have to do is drive past Bayshore, and you see a million people out getting the miles in,\u201d said Jordan.<\/p>\n

As race day approaches, nerves are a natural part of the process.<\/p>\n

Of course, no race day weekend is complete without proper fuel. For Jordan, carb loading is a highlight of the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like some pasta. Some red sauce pasta, not creamy sauce pasta, or maybe a Chipotle burrito bowl, love that too,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n

With the big weekend fast approaching, Jordan has one simple piece of advice for anyone lacing up their running shoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo your training. The biggest advice is to do your training and that gives you confidence on the day of,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n

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Abandoned ‘zombie house’ where owner died undiscovered for years gets stunning renovation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 With just over a month to go until the Gasparilla Distance Classic, runners across Tampa…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120939,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1919,205,12417,12922,60581,31383,23295,276,135,3670,137,136,208],"class_list":["post-120938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-abc","tag-abc-action-news","tag-bayshore","tag-classic","tag-distance","tag-gasparilla","tag-half-marathon","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-local-news","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-wfts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}